DOUGH
"Opara" Yeast Dough (my favorite one)
- 2 cups warm milk
- 4 cups flour
- 2 small packs fresh yeast (or 2 teaspoon dry yeast)
- 1-2 eggs
- 2-3 oz melted butter
- 1-teaspoon salt
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
Place yeast in a small cup, add 1-2 oz of warm water, 1-teaspoon sugar and 1-2 teaspoons flour. Allow to proof – about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile sift approximately ½ of flour to a big bowl, add liquid (milk and/or water), salt and sugar and mix very well. Add risen yeast. Mix again while smooth. Set aside in a warm place covered with a thick towel. It is so-called “opera”, or thin dough. It is good to sift flour in a sifter – it gain air, and dough will be fluffier.
The dough rise in about 1-1 ½ hours. Add gradually the rest of flour and eggs, constantly mixing dough with a wooden spoon or spatula. You can also use mixer with dough blends. When the dough is thick enough, you can continue to do it with hands, kneading it for about another 10-15 minutes. Dough should be thick enough not to be stick to your hands or bowl sides. Closer to the end of kneading add oil or butter. As for me – I prefer vegetable oil, e.g. Canola or corn oil. Add a little bit of flour at the very end again. Set aside in a warm place, covered with a thick towel. (Towel can be soaked in hot water – I knew about it recently, not a bad idea!)
Once the dough is risen, doubling in volume (approximately 1-2 hours), remove it from the bowl. Now you are ready for creative work!
Regular Yeast Dough
Use the same ingredients, and in this case you don’t need to make opara – simply mix all ingredients together from the very beginning. Add gradually flour and liquid, so dough would be smooth. .Again, add fat (butter or oil) in the very end, add some more flour and let the dough to rise. It will take about 1-2 hrs, depending on quality of yeast, room temperature etc.
The end of fermentation of dough will be seen when dough starts to low down. Put it down with hands and let rise one more time.
Do not let the dough stay for a long time – it might be too sour.
Quick Yeast Dough
- 1 tea spoon dry yeast
- 1 egg
- 1-2 Table spoons sugar
- ½ spoon salt (or more for your taste)
- 1-2 Table spoons oil or melted butter
- 300 ml kefir (kind of liquid yogurt, sold at Ralphs, Trader Joe’s, Russian stores)
- 2-3 cups of flour
Dissolve yeast in warm water, set aside, and then add 1 tea spoon sugar and 1-2 tea spoons flour. Let it proof.
Mix flour with kefir, egg and yeasts. Beat it, so dough will be smooth and does not stick to hands. Add oil or butter at the end and sprinkle with flour. Let stand for 40 minutes. The dough is ready!
Puff Pastry Dough
Puff Pastry Dough in another manner
Dough #1
- 300 g sour cream
- 1egg
- 2-2.5 cups flour
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
Dough #2
- 1 cup flour
- 300 g butter room temperature
Prepare dough #1 mixing all the ingredients together and place it to the freezer for 30 min.
Make dough #2, mixing flour with soft butter. Do it very well, without clumps.
Place dough #1 onto lightly floured board, roll it out into a rectangle about 1 cm thick. Spread onto its surface 1/3 of dough #2. Fold the ends over the middle – short at first, then long ones, like an envelope. Wrap into baking paper or plastic wrapper and place into the freezer for 20-30 minutes.
Roll out the saved envelope into a rectangle again, spread another 1/3 of dough #2; and fold like an envelope again. Place into the freezer.
Do the same for the third time. After staying in the freezer for the last 30 minutes, the dough is ready.
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Quick Puff Pastry Dough
- 500 g flour
- 300 g butter
- 1 egg
- ½ tea spoon salt
- 1 tea spoon lemon juice or vinegar
- 4/5 cup water
On a lightly floured board cut frozen butter into small pieces with a knife. Then add flour gradually, continuing to cut. Mixture should be free-running.
Make a hollow in a mixture; add an egg, salt, water, salt and vinegar (juice). Water should be very cold; you may use ice cubes to make it colder. You might not neet all water; check if a dough stick together well. But you don't need very tough dough either.
Knead the dough, helping with a spoon (try to do it as fast as you can; the ingredients should stay cold!), form it into the ball, cover with napkin, and place to a fridge for at least 30 - 40 minutes (or for overnight, if you wish).
All the ingredients should be cold – butter, flour, egg, water and even the board.
